How+to+Learn+a+Foreign+Language―What+You

HowtoLearnaForeignLanguage—WhatYou“Really”NeedToKnowDr.MichaelA.BrookshawDepartmentofEnglishandForeignLanguagesWinston-SalemStateUniversityJune28,2007Goal•Toprovidebasicinformationnecessaryforaclearunderstandingofthe“true”natureoflearningasecondlanguage.Quote•“Amanwhodoesnotknowaforeignlanguagedoesnotknowhisown.”---GoetheGoalofallForeignLanguageStudy•TocommunicatewithanativespeakerofthelanguageWhatisLanguage?•Language,theprinciplemeansusedbyhumanbeingstocommunicatewithoneanother.Languageisprimarilyspoken,althoughitcanbetransferredtoothermedia,suchaswriting.•MSNEncartaGeneralLanguageFacts…•Over6,800Tongues•8Countriesaccountformorethanhalfofalllanguages•Thereare832languagesinPapuaNewGuinea•Indiahas15officiallanguages•Over1000languagesarespokeninAfricaMostWidelySpokenLanguagesintheWorld•1.Chinese(Mandarin)1,075,000,000•2.English514,000,000•3.Hindustani1496,000,000•4.Spanish425,000,000•5.Russian275,000,000•6.Arabic256,000,000•7.Bengali215,000,000•8.Portuguese194,000,000•9.Malay-Indonesian176,000,000•10.French129,000,000RationaleforLearningAnotherLanguage?•Knowinganotherlanguagebringsopportunities•Betterknowledgeofotherpeoples&cultures•Readandunderstandmore•Employmentadvantages•TheWorldisatYourFingertips•YoubecomeaCitizenoftheWorld(Globalization)GeneralReasonsPeopleLearnaSecondLanguage…•Personal•Professional•Social•EducationalWhatdoPeopleGenerallySpeakAbout?•Family•Business•PersonalCare•Travel•FoodWhatislanguagereallyabout?•AccordingtoRicardoGonzalezitisaboutpatterns,timeexpression.Henotes:•Thereare15waystoexpresstime•Awordmustberepeated15timestobestoredinlongtermmemory;astructure60times•ThePartsofLanguageMaketheWhole•Repetitionisthe“Mother”ofallLearningSecondLanguageAcquisition•Anunderstandingofsecondlanguageacquisitioncanimprovetheabilityofmainstreamteacherstoservetheculturallyandlinguisticallydiversestudentsintheirclassrooms(Fillmore&Snow,2002;Hamayan,1990).Whilesignificantprofessionaldevelopmentisnecessarytogainafullunderstandingofsecondlanguageacquisitiontheory,somekeyconceptscanbequicklyunderstoodandappliedintheclassroom.•Currenttheoriesofsecondlanguageacquisitionarebasedonyearsofresearchinawidevarietyoffields,includinglinguistics,psychology,sociology,anthropology,andneurolinguistics(Freeman&Freeman,2001).HowLanguagesareLearned•LearningaSecondLanguageInvolvesanUnderstandingofSecondLanguageAcquisitionandIncludes:•HowtheFirstLanguageisLearned•TheoreticalApproachestoSecondLanguageLearning•FactorsAffectingSecondLanguageLearning•LearnerLanguage•SecondLanguageTeachingandLearningintheClassroom•MythsandFactsaboutLanguageLearningLanguageLearningMyths:•Learningalanguageisfastandeasy.•Childrenlearnlanguagesbetter•Adultsaretoooldtolearnalanguage•FluencyiseasilyaccomplishedWhySpanish?•Thehistoricalconnection•4thlargestSpanishSpeakingpopulationinU.S.•2000mileborderwithMexico•Currentdemographicreality•ContinentalrealityoftheHispanicworld•DissolvingBorders:GlobalizationTheSpanishSpeakingWorld400,000,000speakers•Venezuela,21,000,000•Colombia,35,000,000•Ecuador,5,000,000•Perú,23,000,000•Chile,14,000,000•Argentina,34,000,000•Uruguay,3,000,000•Bolivia,7,000,000•México,93,000,000•Guatemala,10,000,000•ElSalvador,5,000,000•Honduras,5,000,000•Nicaragua,4,000,000TheSpanishSpeakingWorld400,000,000speakers(2)•RepúblicaDominicana,7,000,000•PuertoRico,3,000,000•LasFilipinas,3,000,000•EstadosUnidos,25,000,000•CostaRica,3,000,000•España,39,000,000•GuineaEcuatorial,500,000•Cuba,11,000,000•Uruguay,3,000,000•Panamá,2,000,000•Paraguay,5,000,000TheSpanishYouAlreadyKnow•Mosquito•Chocolate•Banco•Radio•Discoteca•Vitaminas•presidente•mamá•animal•especial•constitución•ángelMoreSpanishYouAlreadyKnow•Montana•Nevada•Colorado•Arizona•Florida•CaliforniaSpanishinthelast10years…(1)•SurgeintheSpanishpopulationnationally•Spanishismoreofanecessitythanachoice•Spokenby39millionHispanics•NotspeakingSpanishcanbeahandicap•ThereisnothingforeignaboutSpanishanymore•SpanishdominatesallotherlanguagesinthepublicschoolsSpanishinthelast10years…(2)•TheneedintheworkplaceforSpanishistremendous•Thepresident,himself,giveshisradioaddressinSpanish•LanguageandcultureofLatinAmericahavefloodedthenation•83%ofcollegestudentsstudySpanish•DemographicsdemandthatyoulearnSpanishSpanishFacts…(1)•ThesecondlanguageoftheU.S.•Hispanicsarethelargestminority•TheU.S.hasthe4thlargestSpanishpopulationintheworld.•Hispanicsarebecomingpoliticallyandeconomicallypowerful.•TheU.S.isbeing“Hispanized”SpanishFacts…(2)•TheU.SusedtobeMexicountil1848•TheU.S.hasaintimatehistorywithallthingsSpanish.•Hispaniclanguage,art,culturehaveexploded.•OurheritageislockedinSpanish•TheU.S.hasalwayshadSpanishinfluenceWhataGoodLanguageLearnerNeedstoHaveforaSuccessfulExperience•BasicUnderstandingofandinformationaboutLanguage•PositiveAttitudeaboutSecondLanguageLearningProcess•ADesiretoCommunicatewithSomeonewhoSpeaksaLanguageDifferentfromyourOwn•CommitmenttotheLanguageLearningprocess•ABasicLanguageFoundation(words-1500-2000)•AppropriateStrategiesandTechniques(method)•TimetoLearnandtoPractice•MemoryAbility•Realisticlanguagegoal